The Beginning of a Love Story
by Canon Archives
Summary: After re-watching the first movie (for the bazillionth time), I kept being amazed at the animation and the incredible expressions on the kid's face. I wanted to flesh out that first moment when he finds the dragon, and really get inside his head, because his face says so much. Here is that moment!


**So after spending a long time obsessing and re-watching everything httyd, I realized something: This is not just a friendship story. I mean "friend" doesn't even _begin_ to describe their relationship. That dragon is _everything_ to him. This is a straight up, simple, old fashioned, fairytale love story. The boy falls _helplessly_ in love. He gives his heart to that dragon. All you have to do is look at the kid's face. Literally, any time he looks at the dragon it's written all over his face. I mean the poor kid. Look at his _face!_**

 **So I thought I'd start with the love-at-first-sight moment in the movie, and give it some quality juice.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own HTTYD, any of the characters, or the scene that I am reiterating in writing.**

 **This is my first fanfic for HTTYD, and I am excited to explore the fandom more!**

 **I hope you like it!**

* * *

It was the eyes.

He didn't know what made him do it – he shouldn't have. It was stupid really. But he did. He dared to look into the eye of the dragon, and what he saw changed everything.

He had expected something vicious and evil – a beast with devil eyes and a feast for blood. Something that would send frightened chills up his spine. But when he looked at the dragon's big green eye, his breath caught in his throat. It was like looking into a mirror.

The dragon looked afraid. This powerful creature was afraid of _him?_ Him, a scrawny toothpick of a boy? How could that be? Just because he held a small knife in his hand?

Hiccup tried to push away the unexpected shock and held out the knife. _This will make my life better,_ he reminded himself. _This will make me into a real Viking!_

But he couldn't help it. He looked again.

The dragon let out a soft, sad moan. He had given up. Hiccup could tell just looking at his eyes that the dragon wasn't going to fight. He felt a painful stab of guilt.

He mentally fought himself. _This dragon would have killed you ten times already if this was reversed. Just do it! It will fix everything!_

"I'm 'onna kill you dragon," he said aloud, as if saying it would make him do it.

He glanced at the eye again and felt his gut clench.

"I'm 'onna cut out your heart and take it to my father," he tried again, gripping tighter to his knife. He let out a breath, trying desperately not to imagine the dragon's frightened eye in his mind. "I am a Viking," he insisted. "I am a Viking!"

The dragon moaned louder. The helpless thing was terrified.

 _Just do it_ , he breathed, lifting his knife higher. He closed his eyes. _Just do it, just do it, just do it!_

But he looked again.

It was as though he could read the dragon's thoughts. The creature breathed heavily, knowing any of these breaths would be his last.

Hiccup's heart throbbed painfully and he wrenched his eyes away. Why did he feel like _he_ was the one helplessly waiting to be killed? _Don't think about it! Just do it!_ He tried to tell himself over and over, but the image in his mind of that dragon's eye wouldn't leave him. He heard the dragon moan again. He wanted to cry.

 _Do it,_ he insisted. _Do it!_

But every instinct in his body was telling him not to _. Don't hurt him_ , an internal voice kept saying. _Protect him. Save him._

Hiccup finally gave in to the voice, lowering his knife in defeat. He looked at the dragon again, wrapped up and tangled in ropes. The eye had closed, but it was too late to go back. Hiccup felt like a monster for shooting the poor thing out of the sky.

"I did this," he murmured. He turned to walk away. What, so he would just leave the dragon here for someone else to find him and kill him? No. In a way that was worse. He had to set the guy free.

 _I must be insane_ , Hiccup thought as he cut the ropes. _Why am I doing this? What if someone sees me? This is so stupid, what am I doing?_

And suddenly he was pinned to the ground, the dragon's intense green eyes staring angrily down at him. Now he knew what he had done was stupid. The eyes that had seemed so helpless before now seemed much more vicious and terrifying. Hiccup waited for death.

But the dragon didn't attack immediately. He just stared. For a split second Hiccup thought he saw a similar hesitation from the dragon that he had had moments earlier. Those green eyes were so full of emotion, and so… well… _human_.

The dragon pulled back for the attack and let out a deafening scream into Hiccup's ear.

And then it flew away.

He was alive. The dragon hadn't killed him.

* * *

 **Ahhh did you see that? He just kept _looking!_ That's what inspired me to do this was his _face_ every time he kept _looking..._ the poor kid couldn't help it. I mean he is _helplessly_ in love, and there is _nothing_ he can do about it. He was doomed from the moment he looked.**


End file.
